In Depth

Crisis Communication: How To Stay Cool on the Hot Seat

In the event of a crisis or a security breach, the media will come calling. Heres your playbook for making them allies, not antagonists.

By Bob Violino

“They all have associates who want to know” what’s going on when there’s a crisis, Weber says. “Employees will start calling the media if there’s a major crisis like an evacuation. That’s why it’s vitally important to tell your employees what’s going on,” so they don’t give out wrong information.

Morrow says EDS employees who aren’t authorized to communicate with the media are instructed not to provide information. “We’ve been making our employees very aware that there are certain ways to treat requests for information, and who to call,” he says. “We don’t let employees respond to the media on their own.”

Bob Violino is a freelance writer. Send feedback to csoletters@cxo.com.

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Dated: July 01, 2007

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